Bike to Work Day returns Wednesday across Colorado, as thousands of people pledge to ditch their cars and pedal to their jobs.

The event, which is organized by Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), aims to get people moving outdoors and get cars off the roads, which officials say helps improve air quality and reduces traffic.

There are also plenty of freebies and prizes to be had for those who register to participate in Bike To Work Day. Everyone who registers gets entered to win a Tern e-bike.

Denver’s Bike To Work Day, now in its 33rd year, had grown to become the second most popular in the nation prior to the pandemic, with more than 30,000 riders participating, according to the DRCOG. However, the shift to remote work reduced participation numbers in recent years.

Nearly 9,000 people pledged to ride in the 2023 Bike To Work Day, DRCOG told The Denver Gazette on Tuesday, and that number was expected to climb to about 9,500.

“We typically find that we get many area commuters who participate without registering, so we’re expecting more than 20,000 riders to come out tomorrow,” Charmaine Robledo, a spokesperson for DRCOG, told The Denver Gazette in an email.

Robledo said more than 11,500 cyclists registered in 2022, and an estimated 19,000 riders participated overall. About 30% of the registered riders were first-timers to the event.

There’s been a 44% increase in hosting stations from last year to this year as well, according to numbers provided by the DRCOG.

“Coming back from the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, we’ve seen an increase in registration and station hosting numbers,” Robledo said.

One of the more popular freebies on Bike To Work Day is a free breakfast, which is available at the more than 250 stations set up across the Denver metro area and the state.

The Denver Office of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) said it is hosting the biggest breakfast station in the region on Bannock Street in front of the Denver City and County Building. The station will have a limited supply of free breakfast burritos from Santiago’s, along with coffee from DRCOG and music from KBCO.

Denver Police will be on hand registering bicycles. Anyone who registers a bike receives a free registration enhancement kit, DOTI said.

Breakfast stations in Denver are open from 6 to 9:30 a.m.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock plans to speak to the crowd at 7:35 a.m. outside the Denver City and County Building.

Here’s what to expect: 

• Aurora is offering a primary breakfast station located on the High Line Canal near the trail underpass on the west side of Chambers Road, northeast of the Aurora Municipal Center.

• There are also breakfast locations on the Anschutz Medical Campus in front of the Fitzsimons Building, at Stanley Marketplace, and at 10255 E. 25th Ave.

• Aurora will also provide free breakfast burritos and beverages from 6 to 9 a.m. The Stanley Marketplace and E. 25th Avenue locations are open until 10 a.m.

• Boulder’s primary breakfast station is set up at 2440 Pearl Street, with breakfast burritos and coffee from 6:30 to 9 a.m.

• Golden plans to have a pancake breakfast for riders at Vanover Park from 6:30 to 9 a.m.

For riders who want to keep the fun rolling after work, there are more than a dozen “party” locations for the after-work crowd, several of which are at local breweries.